Down a an alleyway off the beaten path of the bohemian Old Town in Changsha, Hunan Province, between a vape and a skate shop, hangs a circular sign bearing the Chinese characters for Tarot (塔罗). It points deeper into the alley. Inside the shop sits a youthful Hunan girl, long black hair, dark makeup, crystal rings and a moon necklace.
沿着湖南省长沙波西米亚老城人迹罕至的小巷，在一家电子烟和一家滑板店之间，挂着一个带有塔罗汉字的圆形标志。 它指向小巷的深处。 店里坐着一个年轻的湖南女孩，黑色长发，深色妆容，水晶戒指和月亮项链。
Perhaps to be expected of central-southern China, considering the area’s vegan-friendly, slow-living hippie ways. Yet it was not until this correspondent was strolling back from a visit to The Bund in Shanghai recently and happened upon yet another shop offering Tarot that got underway an investigation as to China’s true interest in the ancient Western technique of fortune telling.
考虑到中国中南部的素食友好、慢生活的嬉皮士方式，也许可以期待中国中南部。 然而，直到这位记者最近从上海外滩回来，偶然发现另一家提供塔罗牌的商店，才开始调查中国对古代西方算命技术的真正兴趣。
Tarot reading, Reiki healing, Rune reading and so on are indeed more widespread in China than one would imagine. Not only are people across the country offering tarot services on public APPs, as well as their private WeChat accounts, but there so happens to be not one, but two, national tarot associations. China Tarot Association (CTA) Founder, Mo Ran, told The Nanjinger, “Most people find tarot mysterious and interesting. After all, it is a kind of culture. Like other modern disciplines such as the Internet, psychology and philosophy, tarot is constantly participating in our work, study and life. As a tool of self-recognition and psychological application, tarot is gradually becoming understood by many enterprises and schools. By understanding tarot, it increases staff efficiency and helps to release pressure”.
塔罗牌阅读、灵气治疗、符文阅读等在中国确实比人们想象的更普遍。 全国各地的人们不仅在公共APP以及他们的私人微信帐户上提供塔罗牌服务，而且恰好不是一个，而是两个全国塔罗牌协会。 中國塔羅牌協會（CTA）創始人莫然告訴《南京人》：「大多數人覺得塔羅牌既神秘又有趣。 毕竟，这是一种文化。 像其他现代学科一样，如互联网、心理学和哲学，塔罗牌不断参与到我们的工作、学习和生活中。 塔罗牌作为一种自我认知和心理应用的工具，逐渐被许多企业和学校所理解。 通过了解塔罗牌，它提高了员工的效率，并有助于释放压力。”
CTA began operating in 2005 and has as many as 270,000 registered members. The association is one of the four major professional tarot organisations worldwide (CTA China, ATA Unites States, TSPA United Kingdom and TGA Australia). Although CTA’s representative office is in Tianjin, its Global Liaison Centre is located in Hong Kong where CTA is registered, and is subject to the supervision of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China. Growing in popularity year-by-year, the CTA annually organises cultural exchange activities such as the China Tarot Competition. Mo says that by joining the professional tarot industry one receives the necessary training to, “Study and reveal human culture. By joining CTA, our ‘humanistic exploration’ is no longer lonely. I [now] see the real relationship between ‘ego’ and ‘human’”.
CTA于2005年开始运营，拥有多达27万名注册会员。 该协会是全球四大专业塔罗牌组织之一（CTA中国、ATA美国、TSPA英国和TGA澳大利亚）。 虽然CTA的代表处在天津，但其全球联络中心位于CTA注册的香港，并受中国香港特别行政区的监督。 CTA一年比一年受欢迎，每年组织文化交流活动，如中国塔罗牌比赛。 Mo说，通过加入专业塔罗牌行业，人们可以接受必要的培训，以“学习和揭示人类文化”。 通过加入CTA，我们的“人文探索”不再孤单。 我[现在]看到了“自我”和“人类”之间的真实关系。”
In ancient times, the telling of one’s fortune was termed “solving (examining) doubts” (샜虜). Considered by the mainstream as a quack profession and never to be taken seriously, it is generally assumed by non-believers that those who regularly seek the advice of astrologers, clairvoyants and or tarot readers are somewhat desperate, overly anxious about the future or control freaks.
在古代，算命被称为“解决（审查）疑虑”（샜虜）。 被主流视为庸俗的职业，永远不会被认真对待，非信徒通常认为，那些经常寻求占星家、千里眼和/或塔罗牌读者建议的人有些绝望，对未来或控制狂过于焦虑。
In China however, the traditional role of a fortune teller was local psychotherapist or important life consultant. There was little to no disbelief in their powers to tap into the future and what they said was often taken as gospel.
然而，在中国，算命先生的传统角色是当地的心理治疗师或重要的生活顾问。 几乎没有人不相信他们挖掘未来的力量，他们所说的经常被当作福音。
“CTA data in recent years shows that the number of tarot fans, professional researchers and people who want to help themselves through tarot is of a large number and growing. The increasing trend is due to the growing recognition of tarot culture and the increasingly obvious value of tarot in human culture. More and more people are benefiting from tarot, and more and more people are identifying with this culture”, Mo told The Nanjinger.
“近年来的CTA数据显示，塔罗牌粉丝、专业研究人员和想通过塔罗牌帮助自己的人数量众多，并且还在不断增加。 日益增长的趋势是由于塔罗牌文化的日益认可，以及塔罗牌在人类文化中的价值越来越明显。 Mo告诉《南京人》，越来越多的人从塔罗牌中受益，越来越多的人认同这种文化。”
Much akin to the Kings and Queens of Medieval Europe, Emperors of China’s past were known to consult astrologers and fortune tellers before making any important decisions. Although skepticism is much more prevalent in modern society, seeking the advice of fortune tellers and clairvoyants remains an important practice, and those in the industry are considered of high social status, relied upon heavily by those in business and of people with ill health.
与中世纪欧洲的国王和王后非常相似，众所周知，中国过去的皇帝在做出任何重要决定之前会咨询占星师和算命先生。 虽然怀疑主义在现代社会更加普遍，但向算命先生和千里眼寻求建议仍然是一种重要的做法，业内人士被认为具有很高的社会地位，被商人和健康状况不佳的人严重依赖。
Scammers, such as those loitering outside Nanjing’s Jiming Temple, are everywhere in China, however, those who build a reputation of trust are highly rewarded.
骗子，比如那些在南京大明寺外闲逛的人，在中国随处可见，然而，那些建立信任声誉的人会得到丰厚的回报。
Fortune Telling, Suànmìng 算命
算命，Suànmìng算命
Since the age of 16, Cloris, a Nanjing, Xinjiekou-based Tarot reader, has been investing in the art and is now making quite the living from one of the world’s oldest trades. One golden hour with Cloris will set clients back ¥1,500 and for half an hour, ¥800, while for Cloris to answer just one question, she will charge ¥400, making the business of Tarot reading a lucrative one indeed. “Usually, the average number of clients who make an appointment for consultation is more than a dozen per day”, Cloris told The Nanjinger.
从16岁起，位于南京新界口的塔罗牌读者Cloris就一直在投资于艺术，现在以世界上最古老的行业之一为生。 与Cloris一起的黄金时间将使客户支付1500日元，半小时将收取800日元，而Cloris只需回答一个问题，她将收取400日元，使塔罗牌阅读业务确实有利可图。 Cloris告诉《南京人》：“通常，每天预约咨询的客户平均人数超过十几个。”
Although business for Cloris is steady, she admits that for the large majority of people, Tarot is still relatively new. “Tarot is still on the rise in China, not very popular, but gradually getting known. Usually, young people prefer the western philosophical tools, however, because the structure of Tarot is relatively complex (78 cards), we still need to educate the public in more industries in order to make it truly universal”.
虽然Cloris的生意很稳定，但她承认，对绝大多数人来说，塔罗牌仍然相对较新。 “塔罗牌在中国仍在兴起，不是很受欢迎，但逐渐广为人知。 通常，年輕人更喜歡西方的哲學工具，然而，由於塔羅牌的結構相對複雜（78張牌），我們仍然需要在更多行業教育公眾，以使其真正普遍。」
“When I was around 14-years old, I came across a forum related to ‘mystery’ on the Internet. There was a section related to Tarot and so I have been interested in it ever since”, said Cloris. Is it any surprise then that with China’s strong fortune telling history, Tarot is experiencing somewhat of an Asian revival? The practice is considered a belief by the government and is therefore tolerated. Yet, Tarot is also different, exciting and somewhat magical; highly attractive to the nation’s progressively open youth.
“在我14岁左右的时候，我在互联网上遇到了一个与’神秘’有关的论坛。 Cloris说：“有一个与塔罗牌有关的部分，所以从那时起我就一直对它感兴趣。” 那麼，隨著中國強大的算命歷史，塔羅牌正在經歷亞洲的復興，這有什麼奇怪的嗎？ 这种做法被政府视为一种信仰，因此被容忍。 然而，塔罗牌也與眾不同，令人興奮，有些神奇；對這個國家逐漸開放的青年非常有吸引力。
Tarot expert Miss Jia, spoke with The Nanjinger from her shop in Jiangpu in Pukou District; “In my opinion, Tarot is very popular, especially with young people. Nowadays, more young people like a combination of Chinese and Western culture. The image of Tarot cards is artistic; they are very beautiful”. Jia, who has been practicing Tarot for over 5 years, also boasts about 10 clients per day and charges anywhere between ¥200-¥500 an hour.
塔罗牌专家贾小姐在浦口区江浦的商店与《南京人》交谈；“在我看来，塔罗牌非常受欢迎，尤其是在年轻人中。 如今，越来越多的年轻人喜欢中西文化的结合。 塔罗牌的形象很有艺术性；它们非常漂亮。” Jia已经练习塔罗牌超過5年了，每天也有大約10名客户，每小时收费在200-500日元之间。
Back at the CTA, Mo believes, “If one is a tarot master or professional practitioner, there is no doubt that there are benefits or material inflow. Any professional should be rewarded, but a tarot master’s cultural spirit is not measured by material gains. Looking from a profit point of view, the tarot consulting industry (like other industries) has both high and low income. One needs a lot of learning and experience to make themselves more professional. Tarot division practitioners also need to invest a lot of energy and time into improving themselves in the early stages. Therefore, tarot is not an industry where one can easily become rich; no pain, no gain”.
回到CTA，Mo认为，“如果一个人是塔罗牌大师或专业从业者，毫无疑问，有收益或物质流入。 任何专业人士都应该得到奖励，但塔罗大师的文化精神不是以物质利益来衡量的。 从利润的角度来看，塔罗牌咨询行业（与其他行业一样）有高收入和低收入。 一个人需要大量的学习和经验才能让自己更加专业。 塔罗牌从业者还需要投入大量精力和时间在早期阶段提高自己。 因此，塔罗牌不是一个容易致富的行业；没有痛苦，就没有收获。”
No matter the reason people across the world believe in the words of tarot readers, there is no denying that the practice remains a safe place for the expression of anxiety, depression and personal issues without suffering from the stigma of mental illness.
无论世界各地的人们相信塔罗牌读者的话的原因是什么，不可否认的是，这种做法仍然是表达焦虑、抑郁和个人问题的安全场所，而不会遭受精神疾病的耻辱。
Stress and burnout in China has reached an all new high. Suicide rates are increasing as young people complain of highly stressful lives. The Telegraph reported on a study that revealed a third of Chinese primary school children suffer from stress, while the South China Morning Post reported that all work and no play makes Hongkongers the fifth most stressed population in the world. Unable to control stress that has arisen as a result of demanding pressure, people could be turning to Tarot as a much needed mental release to ever mounting uncertainty.
中国的压力和倦怠已经达到了新的高。 随着年轻人抱怨生活压力大，自杀率正在上升。 据《电讯报》报道，一项研究表明，三分之一的中国小学生承受着压力，而《南华早报》则报道称，只工作不玩耍使香港人成为世界上第五大压力大人口。 由于无法控制因要求压力而产生的压力，人们可能会转向塔罗牌，作为对日益增长的不确定性的急需的精神释放。
